World War 2 Timeline

Events

Hitler Becomes Chancellor

January 30, 1933

Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany.

Kristallnacht.

November 10, 1938

During the German Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), 7500 Jewish businesses are looted, 191 synagogues are set afire, nearly 100 Jews are killed, and tens of thousands are sent to concentration camps.

World War II Starts

September 1, 1939

World War ii Begins.

Germany Invades Poland.

September 1, 1939

German troops invade Poland on the ground while Hitler's air force bombs Polish cities from the sky.

Britain and France Declare War.

September 3, 1939

Britain and France declare war on Germany honoring their commitment to Poland. President Franklin D. Roosevelt invokes the Neutrality Act but notes, "Even a neutral cannot be asked to close his mind or his conscience.